North East Branch – The branch held its first event in 2017 on 21 February, which was hosted by ROSEN UK at its offices at Quorum Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne. About 20 people attended the event and had an opportunity to learn about Flow Modelling and Flow Assurance through two presentations.

The first presentation, titled “Introduction to Flow modelling and Flow Assurance in Oil and Gas Industry” was delivered by a senior flow assurance engineer at ROSEN UK, Mr. Ashwin Pinto. His presentation discussed the basic concepts and methodology behind the
flow assurance, whilst also highlighting advantages of undertaking flow analyses to better understand performance of production systems, optimize oil and gas operations, and improve system designs.

The second presentation was given by Marguerite Forde, a senior engineer at ROSEN UK, entitled “Optimization and Validation of Internal Corrosion Direct Assessment – Prediction vs. Reality”.Ms Forde presented a case study focused on (i) demonstrating the accuracy of predicted corrosion rates vs. those rates experienced by pipeline assets in reality and (ii) utilization of available direct inspection results to fine-tune corrosion models to predict the condition of sections of the pipeline which cannot be inspected directly.

This year, the branch will hold a summer event on 6th July 2016 at Hatfield College, Durham University, when Professor Jon Glyuas, Durham University, will give a presentation on “Energy past, present and future”. The talk will examine the national picture for energy supply and demand, identify the risks, and then comment on what the UK can do to improve its energy security in the long term.

The evening starts at 17.00, with a tour of Durham Castle at 17.30, followed by the presentation, and a buffet and drinks from 19.30, together with time for networking.The costs are £5 for members and the first 10 students registered, and £10 for non-members. A Registration form will be available on the ICorr website, and as there are limited spaces, early booking is advised.

Alan Denney illustrated his past experience with numerous and far reaching projects and corrosion problems, including reinforcement corrosion in buildings, graphitic corrosion of cast iron, the use and misuseof Cor-Ten steel, the use of duplex stainless steels in architectural demanding buildings together with a number of issues in the oil and gas industry. Bill Hedges then looked at what the corrosion industry was doing well, such as technical development, networking and training, risk assessments, corrosion modelling, effective corrosion barriers and management systems. He then stated that opportunities for improvement existed in, attracting the next generation of engineers, project cost control, corrosion monitoring and inspection, sharing of knowledge across the industry, and the adoption of common standards. Steve Paterson detailed key future challenges including an ageing infrastructure, marginal field development, dealing with high pressures and temperatures, extreme environmental conditions, materials for sustainable energy together with the development of artificial intelligence, commercial acumen and a greater awareness of risk/probability.

Following the presentations, the 45+ attendees participated in a question and answer session which particularly discussed the way to attract young people into the industry who will be innovative and creative and use good judgement in the use of corrosion protection. On 9th February, the Branch met to enjoy a technical presentation entitled ‘Corrosion Inhibitor Testing – The Journey’ given by George Winning; corrosion specialist for Element Materials Technology.

George began his presentation with a quick review of the 70 year history and development of chemical products, the study of the inhibitor mechanisms, together with some of the key characteristics an inhibitor should have, to ensure that they will work for a particular oil and gas system. The presentation looked at the many tests that are needed to be carried out to identify the correct product for a system, and how a set of tests may vary between an application in low oil cut systems through to high water cut systems, and the different tests required for gas systems.George made particular reference to the problems associated with the effects of flow, the difficulty of achieving full inhibition where ‘under deposit corrosion’ (UDC) is occurring, the problem in combating ‘preferential weld corrosion’ (PWC) and the specific techniques required to combat ‘top of line corrosion’ (TOLC).

He then summarised ‘The Journey’ to be made for success, including review of the application, design of the test program, the selection of performance tests, field testing, re-evaluation and performance monitoring. After negotiating a question and answer session with the attendees, Committee Member, Polina Zabelina thanked George for his comprehensive review on all that needs to be considered, and invited all present to enjoy the traditional hospitality of the London Branch.

Details of forthcoming Branch technical meetings can be found on the ICorr website and in the Diary Date page of Corrosion Management, and are held at Imperial College Skempton Building, at 18.00 for an 18.30 start. Enquiries can also be sent to icorrlondon@gmail.com

It is with great pleasure that I am able to write to you in my new role as President of the Institute.I would like to express my thanks to John Fletcher and the whole steering committee for their hard work and time they have dedicated over the past two years, as they hand over the reins.

As an organisation, we are entering a period of change as we are faced with continued pressures and challenges in the world around us, but it is a challenge we are facing head-on. I hope to attend local branch meetings as much as possible, and look forward to more collaboration between the branches and headquarters.

Over the next two years I intend to continue the good work already started to deliver added value to our members, grow our network and membership numbers. Chris Bridge has beenelected as the Young ICorr representative, and will be the focus for the younger members.Other initiatives such as the joint working group with the Marine Corrosion Forum will begin to solidify, and I encourage participation by all members in any activity they can, to bring people into the world of corrosion.

We are a members-driven organisation, and we genuinely value your thoughts and ideas, and I ask that you contact me at any time to share these. A steering group has been set-up to look at the “road to Chartership”,and I will keep you up-dated with the progress on this, and other matters.You will start to see more visible changes in the website and this publication, which I hope you will see benefit in.

Thank you for your continued support of the Institute, and I look forward to working with you all.

Fire Proofing Inspector – Level 2

Why attend this course?

This course is designed to prepare individuals for the ICorr Fire Proofing Inspector Level 2 examination. This course assumes all candidates hold ICorr Painting Inspector approval (any level) and therefore have knowledge of inspection philosophy, surface preparation, anti-corrosion coatings and how to use common inspection instruments. The course will cover the inspection of common types of Passive Fire Protection as found on hydrocarbon installations for both on and offshore facilities. This will include structural members, decks and bulkheads and storage or process tanks and associated pipework. Mechanically fixed methods are not covered.

Course Content

Quality assurance

Inspection and quality control

Normative documents

Design of passive fire protection

Fire classifications/fire types

Risk analysis

Certification

Blast cleaning requirements

Pinning

Priming

Reinforcement systems

Material types/material application

Material removal and repair

Scaffolding

Handling and storage of materials

Health and safety considerations

Common problems encountered

Reporting

Standards applicable

Health and safety

Environmental considerations

Reporting

Standards applicable

Understanding written instructions

Course Details and Price

Course details

Duration: 1 or 2 daysCode: RTO/QA29

Price (excl. VAT)

Special note

If examination is required, candidates must hold ICorr Painting Inspector certification. No certification needed if course is used for information only. A 2 day course route to certification is available without holding a Painting Inspector approval. Mechanically fixed methods are not covered. It has been agreed by PDTC (ICorr) to add an experience assessment to all ICorr certifications for personnel engaged in painting and coating inspection. Full details of the changes are to be published in the ICorr REQ DOC

Insulation Inspector – Level 1

Why attend this course?

This course is designed to prepare individuals for the ICorr Insulation Inspector Level 2 examination. This course assumes all candidates hold an ICorr Painting Inspector approval (any level) and therefore have some knowledge of inspection philosophy. Some corrosion and coating knowledge is also important for the insulation inspector due to the large amount of corrosion problems which have arisen under insulation. Inspection of both thermal (hot and cold) insulation and acoustic insulation is covered and is applicable to pipework, vessels and equipment used in the gas, oil and process industries.

Course Content

Quality assurance

Inspection and quality control

Normative documents

Insulation systems

Insulating materials

Protective coverings

Fixings

Insulation design (basic)

Application of insulation

Scaffolding

Handling and storage of materials

Health and safety considerations

Common problems encountered

Corrosion under insulation

Reporting

Standards applicable

Course Details and Price

Course details

Duration: 2 or 3 daysCode: RTO/QA28

Price(excl. VAT)

Special note

If examination is required, candidates must hold a Painting Inspector certification (any level). No certification needed if course is used for information only. A 3 day course route to certification is available without holding a Painting Inspector approval – please enquire. Fire proofing is not covered in this course; see Fireproofing Inspector ICorr Level 2. It has been agreed by PDTC (ICorr) to add an experience assessment to all ICorr certifications for personnel engaged in painting and coating inspection. Full details of the changes are to be published in the ICorr REQ DOC